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The Liberal Bias in Education
by Dean Reese
Originally posted to BNN 3/7/2005
Much has been said pointing out the liberal bias in our educational system. Unfortunately, the bias is far more widespread than reported. Universities and Colleges only capture part of the overall bias in the educations system.
In late November, the New York Times published some sobering data.
a national survey of more than 1,000 academics, shows that Democratic professors outnumber Republicans by at least seven to one in the humanities and social sciences. That ratio is more than twice as lopsided as it was three decades ago, and it seems quite likely to keep increasing, because the younger faculty members are more consistently Democratic than the ones nearing retirement,...
That is 7 to 1 and more than twice what is was 30 years ago.
Secondly,
... a separate study of voter registration records, found a nine-to-one ratio of Democrats to Republicans on the faculties of Berkeley and Stanford. That study, which included professors from the hard sciences, engineering and professional schools as well as the humanities and social sciences, also found the ratio especially lopsided among the younger professors of assistant or associate rank: 183 Democrats versus 6 Republicans.
In as much as I would expect these ratios from Stanford and Berkeley, this clearly shows the lopsided and unbalanced nature of these universities. In response, many faculties have begun pushing state legislatures and Congress approve an "academic bill of rights" protecting students and faculty members from discrimination for their political beliefs. The campaign is being led by Students for Academic Freedom, a group with chapters at Berkeley and more than 135 other campuses.
Obvious and unfortunate is the fact, that the very students these educators have a responsibility to help mold, are not trusted enough to be balanced and professional. This imbalance leads to leaving out, accepted evidence and reasoning, in the interest of a personal agenda. The result, the students are having to corral the professors and not the expected reverse.
As example:
An Anonymous Student, from Bob Jones University on the topic of Creationism.
Was repeatedly forced to repeat "darwin is a loon" on all assignments. Any arguments presenting evidence of evolution were denounced as "Satanism". We were also forced watch video's of IDF forces butchering Palestinian kids while the teachers said that "judgment" was being meted out. We were also told that we are not allowed to question the president and that God had appointed him to lead the Christian armies in smiting the Arabs so that we can steal all their oil. We were also told that global warming is fake, and when I presented evidence to the contrary, the teachers accused me of witchcraft.
This bias is not only limited to higher education. Students of Hudson High School in Massachusetts are not allowed to form a conservative political club because the school administration believes the ideas involved are objectionable.
As, what the schools believes is a balanced response, “Over the next year,” said school principal John Stapelfeld, “the entire Hudson High School community will implement a governance model based on democratic town meetings.” Democracy is a wonderful model, but only if, in the process, you make effort to allow for the free exchange of ideas and do not squash ideas that conflict with yours. Some how I do not see that happening in this case.
To take this a step further, the administration also blocked access to the HSCCA website. HSCCA stands for High School Conservative Clubs of America. In the right context, I can agree with the administrator, but only if there is no hypocrisy. Of course that is not the case here either.
Even though the administrator has banned the formation of the conservative group, he still allowed a poster in the classroom of Social Studies teacher Beth Ferns to remain. This poster is filled with quotes that negatively portray President George W. Bush. Ferns encourages her students to bring in other political posters and says that the poster is "basically to spark discussion." Ms. Ferns obviously did not take a neutral stance. How likely is it that her students might bring in pro-Bush posters?
Adding insult the the conservative students, the Stapelfeld sponsored a “Blue Day” to celebrate homosexuals. He allowed students to distribute copies of Fahrenheit 911. This further amplifies the lack of balance in the leadership of the administration.
The lack of balance in higher education is very well documented and obviously growing. Prior to this writing, I was unaware of the degree of bias in high schools. In my opinion, in some respects, this is more damaging.
As the New York Times data suggests, for those of us pushing 40, our education was more balanced. I cannot remember a time when a teacher tried to influence my thinking. The New York Times data also suggests that times have changed. While I am not advocating a completely conservative platform in high schools and universitites, I am advocating balance. Students should be taught a balance of conservative and liberal ideas. It is up to the students to determine which set they choose to identify as their own.
Footnote:
hnn.us
Free Republic
studentsforacademicfreedom.org
Cross posted on The Wide Awakes
Cross posted on The Blue Glow Worm
Dean Reese blogs at The Blue Glow Worm.
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